Type-writing machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. A. TOOMEY.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

Patented Oct. 31, 1893. JJ J INVENTOH W% m +6 ATTOHNIEYS.

WITNESSES.

(No Model.)

2Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. A. TOOMEY.

I TYPE WRITING MACHINE. N0. 507,858;

Patented Oct. 31, 1893..

v WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS.

- writer embodying my invention.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. TOOMEY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 507,858, dated October31, 1893.

Application filed December 8, 1892. Serial No. 454,490. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN A. TOOMEY, of Toledo, in the county of Lucasand State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Type-WritingMachine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in the cheaper class of typewritingmachines.

The object of my invention is to produce an extremely cheap and simplemachine, which may be operated by both hands, and which is provided withan improved spacing mechanism adapted to automatically and accuratelymake the required spaces between the letters and words.

A further object of myinvention is to construct the machine in asubstantial manner and to arrange the parts with especial reference torapid work.

To this end myinventionconsists in certain features of construction andcombinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a broken plan View of the type- Fig. 2 is a rear elevationof the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 4 is abroken detail rear elevation of the spacing mechanism, showing theposition of the shifting plate and carriage pawl after the plate has,been moved in one direction and is in position to be pressed in theopposite direction by a spring; and Fig. 5 is a similar view, but withthe shifting plate and carriage pawl in the position assumed when thecarriage is moved directly by one of the type levers.

The machine is provided with a suitable base 10 Job is thickened nearits rear end, as sho n at l1,to form a suitable support for the ty elevers, but the shape of the base and frame of the machine" is notmaterial to the invention. The thickened part 11 of the base alsoaffords a support for the legs 12 of a rigid table 13, which tableextends horizontally above the rear ends of the type levers and iscurved slightly downward in the center, as shown at 14, so as to fitclosely beneath the platen of the carriage which moves above the tableand which will be described presently.. The table 13 is hinged atoneend, as shown at 15, and at the other is provided with a convenientknob 16 to the end that it may be tipped up when necessary, to enablethe type to be easily reached. On the front and rear sides of the tableare supports 18 and 19, the former serving as a rest for the front slidebar 20 of the carriage 21, and the latter serving as a slide and hingefor the carriage. The carriage 21 is preferably of a rectangular shape,but it will not be described in detail as it forms no part of myinvention, and any suitable carriage may be used. The carriage is,however, provided with the usual platen or roller 22 which fits in thedepression 14 of the table, and the platen is fed soas to make therequisite line spaces by the usual ratchet mechanism 23 which need notbe described in detail. The carriage has also on its back side and loweredge a rack bar 24 with ratchet teeth 24 on its bottom edge, and themechanism for engaging the bar'and movin g the carriage will behereinafter described.

Hinged longitudinally on the base 10 and extending beneath the table 13are broad type levers 25 and 26 which are fulcrumed near the center, asshown at 27 in Fig. 3, and these levers have at their front ends akey-board 28, a portion of thecharacters of which are produced on onelever and a portion on the other. The front ends of the levers 25 and 26are normally pressed upward by springs 29, which springs return thelevers after they have been depressed. Beneath the free ends of thelevers are cushions 30 to prevent excessive shock when they aredepressed. The rear ends of the levers are inclined on the upper side,as shown at 31, see Fig. 3, and on the inclined portion of each lever ispivoted a segmental type plate 32, the plate being pivoted, as shown at33, and as the plate is normally inclined, it will be seen that when thelever is depressed at its front end and the plate raised at its rearend, the plate will swing into a horizontal position so as to printevenly upon the platen in the manner hereinafter described. On the underside of each type plate is a hub34 over the back side of.

' which extends a belt 35, see Fig. 1, and one end of the belt issecured, as'shown at 136', to; the outer end portion of the segmental,type plate, while the opposite end portion of the belt extends outwardupo'n'one of the type levers and terminates in a fingenpiece37 to;

which the belt is securelyfixed.- Thefinger- I piece is adapted to beslipped upon the end of the finger like a thimble, and it has afiat'under side to enable it to be moved easily over the keyboard. I Ifdesired, the finger-piece maybe provided with an indicator 38 which maybe brought opposite aletteror otherohari thecentral portion of the table13, see Fig. 1,

and whenthe levers 25, 26 are operated so as to. raise one of the typeplates, the typewhich registers with the hole 17 will project upward ithroughthe same and cause an impression to be made upon the papercarried bythe platen 22; I It will: be noticed that by pulling outwardupon one of the finger-pieces 37, the

type plate connected therewith maybe swung so as to bring thetypebelowthehole 17, and

' the type on the type plate and the characters on the keyboard arearranged so that when I a finger-piece is made to register with acertain character on thekey-board, the type representing said characterwill be turned so as to register with the hole 17. Then by depressingthe lever the type projects upward through the hole and makes animpression.

lo facilitate the accurate registration of the type with the hole 17 soas to produce perfect alignment, the type plates are provided oppositethe type 39 with holes 40, and these holes are adapted to register withpins 41 on the under side of the table 13 and on opposite sides of thehole 17, there being a pin for each type plate. It will be noticed thatthe pins are pointed and the holes are made of the same shape as thepins, so that when a pin enters a certain hole the continued upwardmovement of the type plate causes the pin to guide the plate and bringthe type into the exact position required. The type plates, after beingoperated by the fingerpieces and belts 35, are returned to their normalposition by springs 42 which lie upon the levers and 26, the springsbeing secured to the levers at one end, as shown at43,and the oppositeends of the springs connect by cords 44, or their equivalents, with thestuds 36 on the type plates. On the rear ends of the le vers 25 and 26and preferably near their inner corners, are projecting studs 45 and 45which enter an opening 46 in a swinging shift plate 47, which is pivotedat its lower end, as shown at 48. The opening 46 has oppositely inclinedwalls 49 and 49, which walls: converge upward, and it will be seen thatwhen the lever 25 is depressed at its,

front end the stud :45, acting on the wall 49,

will swing the plate 47 in one direction, while the depression of thefront endof: the lever 26 causes the stud 45 to move. upward, and strikethe wall 49 so as to swing the plate trally on the upper end of theplate 47 is a 47 i n the, opposite direction- Pivoted con I I gagementwith the rack bar by a spring 51 t which is secured to therear end ofthepawl I I I I and to theplate 47. The plate 47 is held I centrally and ina vertical position bythe springs 52 and :55, the former being securedat one end to the base of the machine, near I I I I one side, as shownat 53, and at: the other end to the plate 47*,as: shown at 54, while,the spring 55 is secured to the opposite side of the base, as shownzit-'56, and to the opposite I I side of the shiftingplate,as:shown at,57. 7

The spring 55; should, be strong enough to move not only the shiftplate, .butthe car I riage 21, as the springdoesa portion ofthe spacing,as willzbe described presently. To

iprovideforcven and accnratespacing it is I necessary that one of I thelevers actuate the I I I ing would be irregular.- I I I 1 By referringto Fig. 1, it will be noticed that thehole 17 iswide enough to receivetype from both the typeplatcs 32. When the finger-piece 37 of thelever25 is pulled opposite a certain character, the belt turns the plate 32so as to bring the appropriate type beneath the hole 17, and then bydepressing the lever the impression is made on the platen above. Whenthis depression of the front end of the lever 25 is made and before thetype strikes the paper, the stud strikes the inclined wall 49 of theshift plate 47 and swings the plate to one side, while the pawl carriedby the plate engages the rack 24 of the rack I bar 24 and shifts thecarriage the distance of one letter space. When the lever 25 resumes itsnormal position, the spring 52 draws back the shift plate to its normalposition. It will be seen that if the lever 26 should be next used and aspace again made before a character was printed, there would be toogreat a distance between the letters, as the type on the two type platesare a letter space apart when in printing position. Consequently thespacing is done after the movement of the lever 26 and in the followingwayz-VVhen the lever 26 is depressed at its front end, the rear endrises and the stud 45 striking the inclined wall 49, swings the shiftplate 47 to one side, and the pawl 50 is thus pulled back over one ormore teeth of the rack 24 according to the character of the teeth, andwhen the lever 26 is released and returns to its normal position,

To provide for inking the type, inking pads 39 are secured to the undersides of the table 13 above the type, and by forcing the type platesupward occasionally, the type and pads are brought into contact and thetype supplied with ink. Any other suitable inking device may, however,be used without departing from the principle of my invention.

In the drawings I have shown one shift plate 47, but it will beunderstood that this arrangement may be duplicated andother forms ofinclined walls to engage the studs 45 and 45 used ifdesired. When themachine is operated, the finger-pieces 37 are pulled out to pointsopposite the letters to be printed, and the levers 25 and 26 depressed,which movements of the levers causes their rear ends to swing upward andthe characters are printed in the manner clearly described above.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent' 1. A typewriter, comprising parallel levers,oscillating type plates pivoted on the levers and provided with typeontheir upper surfaces, the pivots of the said type plates being locatedsubstantially in the plane in which the levers are adapted to move, aplaten carried above the type plates, and finger operated mechanism forswinging the type plates into printing position beneath the platen,substantially as described.

2. A typewriter, comprisin g parallel levers, type plates pivoted on thelevers and provided with type upon their upper surfaces, the pivots ofthe said type plates being located substantially in the plane in whichthe levers are adapted to move, a movable platen arranged above the typeplates, and movable finger pieces connected with the type plates andadapted to swing them into printing position, substantially asdescribed. I

3. A typewriter, comprising parallel tilting levers having the typecharacters represented on one end, oscillating type plates pivoted onthe opposite ends of the levers, means, as the finger-pieces and belts,for moving the type plates into printing position, and a movable platenarranged above the type plates, substantially as described.

4. A typewriter, comprising parallel tilting levers fulcrumed on asuitable support and 'having at one end the type characters of themachine, oscillating spring-returned type plates pivoted on the oppositeends of thelevers and provided with type upon their upper surfaces,means, as the finger-pieces and belts,

for moving the type plates against the resistance of their springs, anda movable platen held above the type plates, substantially as described.

5. A typewriter, comprising parallel tilting levers having their rearends inclined and hav-v inga type index on their front ends, oscillat ing type plates pivoted on the inclined ends of the levers and having typeupon their upper surfaces, mechanism for turning the type plates intoprinting position, and a movable platen arranged above the type plates,substantially as described.

6. A typewriter, comprising parallel tilting levers fulcrumed on asuitable support, oscillating type plates pivoted on the lovers andprovided with type upon their upper faces,

finger-operated mechanism for turning the.

type plates, a table arranged above thetype plates and levers andprovided with a central hole adapted to register with the meeting edgesof the type plates, and a movable platen carried above the table andheld to slide over the hole therein, substantially as described.

7 A typewriter, comprising parallel tilting levers fulcrumed on asuitable support, oscillating type plates pivoted on the rear ends ofthe levers and provided with type upon their upper faces, the pivots ofthe said type plates being located substantially in the plane in whichthe levers are adapted to move finger-operated mechanism for turning thetype plates in a printing position, a platencarrying carriage held tomove above the type plates, and mechanism for moving the carriage by themovement of the type levers, substantially as described.

8. In a typewriter, the combination of the tilting levers, revolubletype-carrying plates having their pivot in substantially the same planein which the levers are adapted to move, the platen-carrying carriageheld to move transversely above the levers, the rack bar secured to thecarriage, the swinging carriage pivoted beneath the carriage and havinga pawl to engage the rack bar, and mechanism for moving the shift plateby the upward movement of one of the type levers,

andby the downward movement of the corresponding type leversubstantially as described. V

9. The combination with a perforated table secured to the frame of thetypewriter thev parallel type levers, and revoluble type plates pivotedon thesaid levers and carrying types adapted to register with the holein the table, of a carriage held to slide upon the table IIO thecarriage before a printing impression is made, and the other lever willactuate the carriage after suchean impression, substan; 'tially asdescribed.

10. The combination with the tilting type levers carrying type upontheir rear ends, and the sliding carriage having a rack bar thereon, ofa spring-returned shift plate fulcrumed beneath the carriage andarranged opposite the ends of the type levers, the plate havingoppositely inclined abutments thereon, a pawl carried by the plate andadapted to engage the rack bar of the carriage, and

studs secured to the type levers and adapted to engage the inclinedabutments on theshift 16 plate, substantially as described.

JOHN A. TOOMEY.

Witnesses:

JAMES A. DAILEY, MARY DAILEY.

